`Ba 69-82 ` Kentucky Bluegrass

ABSTRACT

A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot, melting out disease, several rust diseases, dollar spot, powdery mildew and stripe smut; a desirable green color throughout the growing season; the ability to form a strong sod and a high quality dense persistent turf under a wide variety of environmental conditions; and has a medium level of seed yielding capacity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis that has been designated Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass.

2. Description of Related Art

Kentucky bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156 issued May 9, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,186 issued May 23, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,280 issued Sep. 6, 1988; U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 6,537 and 6,538, issued Jan. 17, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,831, issued Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,490, issued Dec. 7, 1993; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,036, issued Jan. 3, 1995 and pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/308,699, filed Sep. 19, 1994, now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,209.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass plants are a distinct variety which can be produced and asexually propogated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules. The plants originated from random seed that germinated in the O. M. Scott and Sons plant nursery and were allowed to grow in the nursery for a period of one year. The seed and pollen parents of the random seed are believed to come from a set of 88 plants collected from several locations throughout the U.S.

Seed of Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass was produced first at Marysville, Ohio and later at Gervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluation trials and later seed production fields. Asexual production of Ba 69-82 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistently produced progeny plants indistinguishable from the mother plant. The apomixis level of Ba 69-82 is approximately 99% based upon examining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from different crop years in a growth chamber.

Ba 69-82 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a high level of resistance to Drechslera spp. that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot; Laetisaria fuciformis that causes red thread; Schlerotinia homoeocarpa that causes dollar spot; Puccinia spp. that causes several types of rust infections; Erysiphe graminis that causes powdery mildew; Leptosphaeria korrae that causes Necrotic ring spot and Ustilago striiformis that causes stripe smut. Ba 69-82 has an attractive leafy turf type growth habit, moderately wide leaf blades, attractive green color which can be maintained throughout the entire growing season, good drought and heat tolerance, and good turf performance as evidenced by consistently high scores for quality, color and density.

In comparison with most commercially available varieties, Ba 69-82 produces a small seed, has a short ligule and is late maturing. Under mowed conditions, Ba 69-82 develops a moderately wide blade and high sod strength. Ba 69-82 has a medium level of seed yield potential in the bluegrass seed producing regions of the northwestern U.S.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass plant at anthesis;

FIG. 2 is a Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle at anthesis; and

FIG. 3 is a Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass seed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Ba 69-82 Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is perennial with creeping rhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in the field under freezing temperatures and are then brought into the greenhouse during late winter to continue growth undisturbed by clipping under moderate temperatures (60°-80° F.), culms are erect averaging 31.9 cm in length, 3.2 nodes per culm and the uppermost internode 7.2 cm in length. The peduncle averages 21.0 cm in length, and 0.595 mm in width. The vegetative leaf averages 21.9 mm in width, 0.279 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 0.14 mm. An average quantity of ligule and leaf margin hairs was observed. The flag leaf averages 4.3 cm in length, 3.2 mm in width and 0.198 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 1.0 mm. The panicle averages 67.4 mm in length, 46.6 mm in width and 8.8 whorls. The lowest whorl averages 3.3 branches and the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle 3.1 branches.

The spikelet at the tip of a branch in the lowest whorl averages 4.6 mm in length, 2.3 mm in width, 3.2 florets and 2.8 mm and 3.1 mm for the outer and inner glumes in length, respectively. A similar spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle averages 4.7 mm in length, 2.4 mm in width, 3.3 florets and 2.9 mm and 3.2 mm for the outer and inner glumes in length, respectively. The hair content on the glumes average 2.2 and 2.2 for the outer and inner glumes on the lowest whorl, respectively, and 2.1 and 3.3 on the outer and inner glumes on the third whorl, respectively.

Ba 69-82 averaged significantly more hairs on the glumes on the third whorl than most other grasses in the study. The seed of Ba 69-82 averages 2.77 mm in length, and 0.89 mm in width, 0.68 mm in rachilla length and approximately 1,250,997 seeds per pound. The dorsal side of the lemma keel contained an average population of hairs.

Comparisons of Ba 69-82 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in terms of seed dimensions and numbers per pound are shown in Tables 1 and 2 as follows:

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Seed and Rachilla Measurements                     and Lemma Hair of Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass                        Varieties After Conditioning.                                                  Seed                                                                                       Length  Width     Rachilla                                                                              Lemma.sup.1                               Variety     mm      mm        mm     Hair                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82    2.77    0.89      0.68   4.4                                       Ba 73-540   2.77    0.86      0.70   4.7                                       Abbey       2.97    0.89      0.80   3.8                                       Adelphi     2.70    0.84      0.65   4.4                                       America     2.40    0.68      0.68   2.8                                       Baron       3.08    0.81      0.71   5.0                                       Bristol     2.94    0.88      0.73   4.3                                       Chateau     2.81    0.86      0.71   4.5                                       Coventry    2.71    0.81      0.70   4.0                                       Eclipse     2.77    0.83      0.68   3.5                                       Georgetown  2.94    0.82      0.74   4.9                                       Gnome       2.78    0.83      0.75   4.1                                       Kelly       3.07    0.89      0.75   4.2                                       Marquis     2.97    0.87      0.83   4.7                                       Midnight    2.94    0.76      0.78   5.7                                       Nassau      3.07    0.86      0.68   3.4                                       Ram I       3.23    0.89      0.80   6.0                                       Touchdown   2.93    0.88      0.71   4.6                                       Victa       3.00    0.80      0.82   3.5                                       LSD (.05)   0.16    0.05      0.13   0.86                                      ______________________________________                                          .sup.1 Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = abundant row of hairs along keel.          

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Seed Numbers Per Pound of Ba 69-82 and Other                     Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning                                Variety       Seeds per Pounds                                                 ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82      1,250,997                                                        Ba 73-540     1,359,914                                                        Abbey         1,003,037                                                        Adelphi       1,383,976                                                        America       1,659,824                                                        Baron         1,051,693                                                        Bristol       1,270,821                                                        Chateau       1,300,105                                                        Coventry      1,246,200                                                        Eclipse       1,335,668                                                        Georgetown    1,431,000                                                        Gnome         1,017,641                                                        Kelly           921,166                                                        Marquis       1,054,642                                                        Midnight      1,227,000                                                        Nassau        1,127,130                                                        Ram 1         1,214,000                                                        Touchdown     1,211,000                                                        Victa         1,038,298                                                        ______________________________________                                    

Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent, comparisons of morphological characteristics of Ba 69-82 were made with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties and the comparisons are set forth in the following Tables 3-8:

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Panicles, Whorl Number and                         Whorl Branches of Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass                        Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH.                                        Panicles          Number of                                                                Whorl Branches                                                       Nod-    Length  Width Num-  Lower Third                               Variety  ding    mm      mm    ber   Whorl Whorl                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82 1.5     67.4    46.6  8.8   3.3   3.1                                 Ba 73-540                                                                               2.2     60.8    47.6  8.4   3.9   3.0                                 Abbey    1.6     80.4    59.3  9.3   3.8   3.3                                 Adelphi  1.8     106.8   76.4  10.0  3.6   3.0                                 America  2.3     67.7    51.1  8.8   3.3   3.5                                 Baron    2.2     92.6    71.0  10.0  3.4   2.8                                 Bristol  2.0     85.5    61.5  8.4   2.8   2.7                                 Chateau  2.9     65.2    57.3  8.5   3.3   2.8                                 Coventry 2.5     64.0    54.2  8.4   3.3   2.5                                 Eclipse  1.3     89.2    74.0  10.7  3.3   2.1                                 Georgetown                                                                              1.0     80.0    57.0  7.4   2.1   2.6                                 Gnome    1.1     80.6    56.0  10.6  4.6   3.9                                 Kelly    2.0     88.0    70.2  9.8   4.6   3.7                                 Marquis  1.1     82.0    63.0  10.3  3.9   3.6                                 Midnight 2.0     75.8    48.4  7.1   2.9   3.0                                 Nassau   2.2     91.2    68.6  10.0  2.5   2.1                                 Ram I    1.3     67.7    47.0  7.3   3.0   3.2                                 Touchdown                                                                               1.1     73.1    75.0  7.6   2.1   2.3                                 Victa    1.7     74.9    58.3  10.0  4.7   3.5                                 LSD (.05)                                                                               0.68    7.35    8.62  0.66  0.72  0.50                                ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = most nodding                                     

                  TABLE 4                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba 69-82                  and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                    Marysville, OH.                                                                       Spikelet                                                                                         Number of                                                            Third Whorl                                                                              Florets                                                      Lower Whorl       Width   Per Spikelet                                           Length  Width   Length                                                                               Num-  Lower Third                               Variety  mm      mm      mm    ber   Whorl Whorl                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82 4.6     2.3     2.7   2.4   3.2   3.3                                 Ba 73-540                                                                               4.3     2.2     4.3   2.2   3.4   3.2                                 Abbey    4.4     2.2     4.5   2.2   3.0   3.0                                 Adelphi  4.6     2.2     4.8   2.2   4.4   4.4                                 America  4.6     2.2     4.4   2.3   4.5   4.3                                 Baron    5.4     2.8     5.4   3.1   4.0   4.2                                 Bristol  4.9     2.4     5.0   2.5   4.2   4.5                                 Chateau  4.4     2.4     4.4   2.4   3.4   3.5                                 Coventry 4.4     2.2     4.5   2.4   3.2   3.5                                 Eclipse  4.6     2.4     4.6   2.4   3.6   3.6                                 Georgetown                                                                              5.0     2.3     5.0   2.6   4.8   4.9                                 Gnome    4.6     2.5     4.6   2.9   3.2   3.2                                 Kelly    5.1     2.5     5.2   2.8   3.7   3.8                                 Marquis  4.3     2.2     4.4   2.3   3.1   2.9                                 Midnight 5.3     2.5     5.5   2.4   4.4   4.7                                 Nassau   4.7     2.6     4.8   3.00  4.2   4.3                                 Ram I    5.4     2.6     5.3   2.8   3.6   3.4                                 Touchdown                                                                               5.1     2.9     4.8   2.8   4.1   4.0                                 Victa    4.5     2.5     4.5   2.4   3.3   3.2                                 LSD (.05)                                                                               0.41    0.35    0.38  0.35  0.58  0.53                                ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 5                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba 69-82 and Other                       Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse                                 at Marysville, OH.                                                             ______________________________________                                                   Glume Length (mm)                                                              Outer           Inner                                                            Lowest  Third     Lowest                                                                               Third                                      Variety     Whorl   Whorl     Whorl Whorl                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82    2.8     2.9       3.1   3.2                                        Ba 73-540   2.6     2.7       3.0   3.0                                        Abbey       2.7     2.7       3.1   3.1                                        Adelphi     2.7     2.6       3.0   3.1                                        America     2.1     2.1       2.5   2.5                                        Baron       3.1     3.2       3..6  3.7                                        Bristol     2.8     3.0       3.3   3.4                                        Chateau     2.8     2.9       3.1   3.2                                        Coventry    2.7     2.8       3.1   3.1                                        Eclipse     3.0     3.0       3.4   3.4                                        Georgetown  2.8     2.8       3.1   3.1                                        Gnome       2.8     2.9       3.3   3.3                                        Kelly       3.0     3.1       3.4   3.5                                        Marquis     2.8     2.7       3.1   3.1                                        Midnight    2.6     2.6       3.0   3.1                                        Nassau      2.6     2.7       2.9   3.0                                        Ram I       2.9     3.0       3.6   3.5                                        Touchdown   3.3     3.3       3.8   3.8                                        Victa       2.8     2.7       3.1   3.1                                        LSD (.05)   0.23    0.22       0.22 0.23                                       ______________________________________                                                   Glume Hairs*                                                                   Lowest Whorl    Third Whorl                                          Variety     Outer   Inner     Outer Inner                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82    2.2     2.2       2.1   3.1                                        Ba 73-540   2.5     3.0       2.5   2.5                                        Abbey       0.6     0.9       1.0   1.0                                        Adelphi     0.6     2.7       1.1   1.9                                        America     0.2     0.5       0.3   0.3                                        Baron       4.8     4.4       4.2   4.6                                        Bristol     1.0     2.2       0.8   2.2                                        Chateau     1.5     2.6       2.0   1.8                                        Coventry    1.5     2.7       1.6   2.4                                        Eclipse     1.5     1.9       1.8   1.9                                        Georgetown  1.7     2.7       1.2   2.5                                        Gnome       1.0     1.9       1.2   1.6                                        Kelly       1.3     1.5       1.1   0.8                                        Marquis     0.9     1.1       1.7   1.8                                        Midnight    1.8     2.8       1.0   2.4                                        Nassau      2.1     2.6       4.2   4.4                                        Ram I       1.1     2.3       0.7   1.2                                        Touchdown   0.7     2.1       1.1   1.4                                        Victa       0.8     1.1       1.1   1.3                                        LSD (.05)   0.9     0.9       0.9   0.9                                        ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs                                       

                  TABLE 6                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological comparison of Flag Leaf of Ba 69-82 and Other                    Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse                                 at Marysville, OH.                                                             ______________________________________                                                 Length                                                                               Width   Thickness Leaf                                           Variety   mm      mm      mm      Angle.sup.1                                                                          Curve.sup.2                            ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82  4.3     3.2     0.198   1.0   4.9                                    Ba 73-540 3.8     2.9     0.206   1.0   4.9                                    Abbey     3.8     3.4     0.145   2.7   4.1                                    Adelphi   5.7     3.4     0.178   5.2   5.0                                    America   4.3     2.6     0.211   4.6   5.0                                    Baron     7.0     4.2     0.152   9.2   4.4                                    Bristol   4.3     3.2     0.211   2.3   5.0                                    Chateau   4.0     2.7     0.193   3.4   2.0                                    Coventry  3.7     3.0     0.140   0.7   4.3                                    Eclipse   3.9     3.2     0.193   8.7   5.0                                    Georgetown                                                                               5.7     2.8     0.221   1.9   5.0                                    Gnome     4.5     3.5     0.185   4.3   5.0                                    Kelly     4.8     4.1     0.178   3.1   4.4                                    Marquis   5.5     3.6     0.241   2.7   4.6                                    Midnight  3.8     2.6     0.189   1.1   5.0                                    Nassau    6.0     3.7     0.191   5.9   4.7                                    Ram I     3.4     3.1     0.191   1.0   4.8                                    Touchdown 4.1     2.7     0.163   3.4   4.1                                    Victa     3.9     3.7     0.267   2.1   4.6                                    LSD (.05) 1.0     0.4     0.02    2.5   2.4                                    ______________________________________                                                       Hairs.sup.3                                                                  Ligule  Leaf            Sheath.sup.4                               Variety     mm      Margin    Ligule                                                                               Color                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82    1.0     0.1       2.5   1.7                                        Ba 73-540   0.8     0.4       2.3   2.0                                        Abbey       1.3     0.8       1.6   0.2                                        Adelphi     1.1     1.8       1.6   0.4                                        America     0.6     0.4       0.7   1.9                                        Baron       1.2     1.0       3.8   2.6                                        Bristol     0.6     0.4       1.9   2.0                                        Chateau     0.9     1.1       3.1   0.3                                        Coventry    0.9     0.8       1.7   2.0                                        Eclipse     1.1     1.0       1.0   0.2                                        Georgetown  0.6     0.6       2.0   2.0                                        Gnome       0.8     0.9       3.2   1.5                                        Kelly       1.5     1.1       2.5   2.2                                        Marquis     0.8     0.5       3.8   1.5                                        Midnight    0.4     0.4       0.3   2.0                                        Nassau      1.1     2.6       2.4   0.8                                        Ram I       0.7     0.5       1.3   2.0                                        Touchdown   1.1     1.0       1.0   7.7                                        Victa       1.3     1.0       0.8   0.5                                        LSD (.05)   0.17    0.47      0.7   0.76                                       ______________________________________                                          .sup.1 Degrees from the stem                                                   .sup.2 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down         .sup.3 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many                                   .sup.4 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; dark purple                      

                  TABLE 7                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Node Numbers                     Per Culm and Internode Lenght of Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky                   Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH.                                Peduncle Peduncle Culm  Nodes Top                                              Length   Width    Length                                                                               Per   Internode                               Variety  cm       mm       cm    Culm  Length cm                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82 21.0     0.595    31.9  3.2   7.2                                     Ba 73-540                                                                               17.9     0.612    28.0  3.1   7.7                                     Abbey    23.2     0.655    41.3  4.1   11.0                                    Adelphi  24.5     0.665    40.0  4.0   10.4                                    America  16.2     0.622    31.8  3.1   11.0                                    Baron    34.0     0.701    52.8  4.2   12.8                                    Bristol  22.9     0.734    43.5  4.0   12.6                                    Chateau  20.7     0.607    38.9  4.4   9.9                                     Coventry 19.6     0.487    34.7  4.5   7.9                                     Eclipse  23.7     0.658    39.2  4.9   9.9                                     Georgetown                                                                              21.7     0.683    37.5  3.2   11.1                                    Gnome    19.4     0.836    35.3  3.1   9.2                                     Kelly    29.4     0.752    46.6  3.6   11.8                                    Marquis  27.1     0.831    34.1  3.4   7.8                                     Midnight 20.5     0.722    29.5  2.8   7.6                                     Nassau   25.0     0.663    36.0  3.9   7.4                                     Ram I    22.2     0.694    30.5  2.5   6.6                                     Touchdown                                                                               23.6     0.519    38.0  4.0   8.4                                     Victa    21.2     0.808    37.9  3.7   10.3                                    LSD (.05)                                                                               3.2      0.08     3.3   0.4   1.9                                     ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 8                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves of Ba 69-82                      and Other Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                             Marysville, Ohio.                                                              ______________________________________                                                 Length                                                                               Width   Thickness Leaf                                           Variety   mm      mm      mm      Angle.sup.1                                                                          Curve.sup.2                            ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82  21.9    3.5     0.279   51.7  8.3                                    Ba 73-540 18.1    3.5     0.300   53.0  6.2                                    Abbey     20.7    3.6     0.277   51.3  7.4                                    Adelphi   19.4    3.7     0.279   67.0  4.6                                    America   21.4    3.1     0.325   66.0  6.4                                    Baron     18.2    4.3     0.290   35.0  4.4                                    Bristol   18.2    3.7     0.320   65.5  6.9                                    Chateau   23.1    3.3     0.328   39.7  5.4                                    Coventry  23.4    3.6     0.249   63.0  7.3                                    Eclipse   20.3    4.4     0.302   65.5  5.4                                    Georgetown                                                                               19.5    3.6     0.287   56.7  5.8                                    Gnome     18.2    2.9     0.290   43.2  6.6                                    Kelly     22.8    3.9     0.300   55.5  7.0                                    Marquis   19.7    3.7     0.376   46.8  7.8                                    Midnight  19.5    3.5     0.310   63.3  5.0                                    Nassau    16.3    3.7     0.292   63.2  4.9                                    Ram I     19.1    3.6     0.271   70.8  6.5                                    Touchdown 16.7    3.7     0.243   51.3  4.0                                    Victa     21.5    3.6     0.360   56.3  6.7                                    LSD (.05) 3.5     0.43    0.04    15.9  1.5                                    ______________________________________                                                 Hairs.sup.3                                                                      Ligule          Leaf  Leaf    Sheath                                 Variety   mm      Ligule  Margin                                                                               Roughness.sup.4                                                                        Color.sup.5                            ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82  0.14    2.7     1.4   8.1     1.7                                    Ba 73-540 0.14    2.0     1.6   8.3     1.9                                    Abbey     0.32    4.4     2.8   7.7     0.0                                    Adelphi   0.34    2.6     3.4   8.8     0.0                                    America   0.12    1.7     2.1   8.4     2.0                                    Baron     0.33    4.6     3.6   7.4     0.4                                    Bristol   0.12    2.6     3.0   8.9     2.0                                    Chateau   0.22    3.3     3.1   7.8     0.5                                    Coventry  0.32    3.1     2.4   8.1     0.3                                    Eclipse   0.38    2.8     2.6   9.0     0.2                                    Georgetown                                                                               0.14    2.5     2.4   8.5     2.0                                    Gnome     0.23    1.6     0.8   7.5     1.4                                    Kelly     0.34    4.6     2.4   8.8     0.0                                    Marquis   0.21    3.6     1.1   6.8     1.1                                    Midnight  0.10    1.3     1.6   7.7     2.0                                    Nassau    0.34    2.5     3.3   8.5     1.4                                    Ram I     0.09    1.8     2.0   7.7     2.0                                    Touchdown 0.29    1.4     1.3   7.9     8.0                                    Victa     0.26    2.3     1.7   7.9     0.1                                    LSD (.05) 0.04    0.79    0.70  089     0.57                                   ______________________________________                                          .sup.1 Degrees from stem                                                       .sup.2 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down         .sup.3 Rating Scale: 0-9; 1 = none; 9 = many                                   .sup.4 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = rough; 9 = smooth                                .sup.5 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple color            

Ba 69-82 has performed well throughout the U.S. and Canada as exhibited by high turf quality ratings in a number of locations across the U.S. in comparison to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. In addition, it has a pleasant medium green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season and good winter color. It demonstrates early spring greening and good spring density.

With regard to a comparative analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba 69-82 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba 69-82 during mid-May while the turf was actively growing with adequate nutrient and water availability. The readings were taken in full sun with several actively growing leaves being compared, one at a time, utilizing color chips from the Munsell Book of Color as a reference. On this basis, the color of Ba 69-82 was determined to be 5 GY 4/4. During the same time period, the color of similar leaves of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties were determined by the same procedure to be as follows: Ba 73-381-5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-366-5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-540-5 GY 4/4; Abbey - 5GY 3/4; and Coventry-5 GY 4/4. However, it should be noted that the general apparent color of turf does not always correlate directly with the color of the individual actively growing leaves within the turf and that turf color varies with nutrient level and time of year with some varieties being darker or lighter green depending on such factors.

Comparisons of Ba 69-82 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties for quality, genetic color, winter color and spring greening are set forth hereinafter in Tables 9-12;

                  TABLE 9                                                          ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky                         Bluegrass Varieties in Four Annual Tests (A-D) Conducted at                    Forty Turfgrass Locations in the U.S. and Canada                                           TESTS (Annual/Means)                                               Variety       A     B           C   D                                          ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82      5.7   5.7         6.1 5.8                                        Ba 73-540     5.8   5.9         6.0 5.8                                        Abbey         5.6   5.7         5.9 5.7                                        Able 1        5.7   5.7         6.0 6.1                                        Amazon        5.4   5.5         5.5 5.5                                        America       5.8   5.9         6.1 6.2                                        A-34          5.6   5.9         6.0 6.1                                        Baron         5.8   5.6         5.9 5.8                                        Bristol       5.7   6.0         6.1 6.0                                        Chateau       6.0   5.8         6.0 6.0                                        Classic       5.9   5.8         6.0 5.9                                        Coventry      5.8   5.8         5.9 5.8                                        Eclipse       5.6   5.9         6.2 6.3                                        Estate        5.9   5.9         5.9 5.8                                        Georgetown    5.8   5.6         5.8 5.8                                        Glade         5.7   5.8         6.1 6.1                                        Gnome         5.5   5.3         5.6 5.5                                        Haga          5.8   5.8         5.8 5.9                                        Kelly         5.6   5.7         5.9 5.8                                        Kenblue       5.0   4.7         5.0 5.2                                        Marquis       5.3   5.6         5.7 5.7                                        Merion        5.4   5.4         5.7 5.6                                        Merit         5.6   5.6         5.9 5.8                                        Midnight      6.1   6.3         6.4 6.3                                        Monopoly      5.5   5.5         5.9 5.9                                        Nassau        5.6   5.7         5.8 5.5                                        Ram I         5.7   5.6         5.9 5.8                                        Victa         5.8   5.7         5.8 5.8                                        LSD (.05)     0.2   0.2         0.2 0.2                                        ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = ideal turf                                              *Not all forty locations reported data each year.                        

                  TABLE 10                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky                   Bluegrass Varieties at 15 Locations in the U.S. and Canada                                 TESTS (Annual Means)                                               Variety      A      B          C    D                                          ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82     6.8    6.1        6.4  6.3                                        Ba 73-540    6.5    6.2        6.3  6.5                                        Abbey        6.8    6.2        6.7  6.6                                        Able I       7.1    6.8        6.7  6.9                                        Amazon       6.2    6.9        7.0  6.5                                        America      6.8    6.6        7.0  6.6                                        A-34         5.7    5.6        5.7  5.7                                        Baron        6.8    6.5        6.9  6.8                                        Bristol      7.3    7.1        6.6  6.6                                        Chateau      6.5    6.0        6.2  6.5                                        Classic      5.8    5.6        6.3  5.9                                        Coventry     6.5    6.0        6.5  6.6                                        Eclipse      7.7    6.7        6.5  6.6                                        Estate       6.7    5.9        6.3  6.6                                        Georgetown   6.1    5.7        5.9  6.7                                        Glade        7.4    7.0        6.7  6.9                                        Gnome        6.4    6.5        6.8  6.7                                        Haga         5.8    5.5        6.1  5.8                                        Kelly        6.7    6.5        6.9  6.5                                        Kenblue      5.2    5.2        5.5  6.0                                        Marquis      7.2    6.6        6.8  6.5                                        Merion       6.4    5.6        6.0  6.5                                        Merit        6.7    6.4        6.5  6.1                                        Midnight     8.0    7.9        7.5  7.7                                        Monopoly     5.3    5.5        5.5  5.3                                        Nassau       7.1    6.7        6.9  6.8                                        Ram I        6.9    6.6        6.9  6.6                                        Victa        6.7    6.3        6.7  6.5                                        LSD (.05)    0.4    0.4        0.4  0.4                                        ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale; 1-9:9 = dark green                                         

                  TABLE 11                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Spring Greenup for Ba 69-82 and Other                          Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Five Locations* in the                         U.S. and Canada                                                                Variety       Annual Means                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82      4.8                                                              Ba 73-540     4.6                                                              Abbey         4.2                                                              Able I        3.7                                                              Amazon        3.7                                                              America       3.9                                                              A-34          5.2                                                              Baron         4.2                                                              Bristol       5.0                                                              Chateau       4.9                                                              Classic       4.5                                                              Coventry      4.6                                                              Eclipse       4.5                                                              Estate        4.6                                                              Georgetown    4.2                                                              Glade         4.9                                                              Gnome         3.9                                                              Haga          4.5                                                              Kelly         4.0                                                              Kenblue       5.1                                                              Marquis       4.0                                                              Merion        4.3                                                              Merit         3.9                                                              Midnight      3.9                                                              Monopoly      4.1                                                              Nassau        5.2                                                              Ram I         4.3                                                              Victa         4.3                                                              LSD (.05)     0.7                                                              ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9:9 = completely green.                                        *Locations: Agassiz, British Columbia; Post Fall, ID; West Lafayette, In;      Columbus, OH; Kingston, RI.                                              

                  TABLE 12                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Winter Color of Ba 69-82 and Other                             Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the U.S. and Canada                                        Winter Color                                                                     Wichita, Agassiz                                                 Variety       Kansas   British Columbia                                        ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82      5.0      5.0                                                     Ba 73-540     5.0      5.0                                                     Abbey         3.0      4.7                                                     Able I        5.7      4.0                                                     Amazon        4.0      4.0                                                     America       4.7      4.0                                                     A-34          4.7      4.3                                                     Baron         3.3      4.7                                                     Bristol       5.7      5.0                                                     Chateau       5.0      5.0                                                     Classic       5.0      4.0                                                     Coventry      5.0      5.0                                                     Eclipse       4.0      4.3                                                     Estate        4.3      5.0                                                     Georgetown    5.3      4.0                                                     Glade         3.3      4.3                                                     Gnome         2.7      4.3                                                     Haga          5.0      4.0                                                     Kelly         3.7      4.7                                                     Kenblue       3.0      3.0                                                     Marquis       3.3      4.3                                                     Merion        3.0      4.0                                                     Merit         3.3      5.0                                                     Midnight      4.3      4.7                                                     Monopoly      3.7      4.7                                                     Nassau        5.7      5.0                                                     Ram I         5.0      4.7                                                     Victa         3.7      5.0                                                     LSD (.05)     1.0      0.6                                                     ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = complete color retention.                         

Further comparisons of Ba 69-82 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties for leaf texture and spring, summer and fall density are given in Tables 13-16 as follows:

                  TABLE 13                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 69-82 and Other                             Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)                         Conducted at Eight Locations in the U.S. and Canada*                                        TESTS (Annual Means)                                              Variety        A         B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82       5.7       5.8                                                   Ba 73-540      5.8       5.6                                                   Abbey          6.3       6.3                                                   Able I         7.1       7.3                                                   Amazon         7.5       7.2                                                   America        7.1       7.2                                                   A-34           6.4       6.9                                                   Baron          6.8       6.1                                                   Barzan         6.1       6.7                                                   Bristol        6.7       6.3                                                   Chateau        6.1       6.0                                                   Classic        6.6       7.0                                                   Coventry       5.9       5.7                                                   Eclipse        6.4       6.5                                                   Estate         6.3       5.9                                                   Georgetown     6.8       6.8                                                   Glade          6.8       6.7                                                   Gnome          6.1       6.2                                                   Haga           6.7       7.1                                                   Kelly          6.4       5.7                                                   Kenblue        7.8       7.3                                                   Marquis        6.1       5.7                                                   Merion         6.7       6.8                                                   Merit          6.3       6.1                                                   Midnight       7.3       6.7                                                   Monopoly       7.1       6.8                                                   Nassau         6.6       6.5                                                   Ram I          7.3       7.1                                                   Victa          6.3       6.0                                                   LSD (.05)      0.5       0.5                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine                                               *Locations Test A: West Lafayette, In.; Columbia, Mo.; Farmington, NM;         Columbus, OH.; Brookings, SD; Puyallup, WA.                                    Locations Test B: Agassiz, British Columbia; Post Falls, ID.; Columbus,        OH.; Brookings, SD,; Puyallup, WA.                                       

                  TABLE 14                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Spring Density for Ba 69-82 and Other                          Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)                         Conducted at Five Locations* in the U.S. and Canada                                         TESTS (Annual Means)                                              Variety        A         B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82       6.7       7.1                                                   Ba 73-540      6.5       7.6                                                   Abbey          5.8       6.8                                                   Able I         5.8       7.4                                                   Amazon         6.7       6.7                                                   America        6.2       7.1                                                   A-34           5.7       7.3                                                   Baron          6.3       6.8                                                   Bristol        5.3       6.9                                                   Chateau        6.7       7.3                                                   Classic        5.5       7.2                                                   Coventry       6.5       7.1                                                   Eclipse        5.5       7.1                                                   Estate         6.3       7.2                                                   Georgetown     5.5       6.9                                                   Glade          6.8       7.3                                                   Gnome          6.0       6.3                                                   Haga           5.5       7.3                                                   Kelly          6.3       6.7                                                   Kenblue        6.2       6.0                                                   Marquis        6.0       6.6                                                   Merion         6.3       7.3                                                   Merit          5.8       6.7                                                   Midnight       6.7       7.4                                                   Monopoly       6.2       7.0                                                   Nassau         6.2       6.6                                                   Ram I          7.0       6.4                                                   Victa          5.8       6.8                                                   LSD (.05)      0.8       0.7                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = maximum density                                         *Locations Test A: Winnipeg, Manitoba; Columbus, OH.                           Locations Test B: Columbia, Mo; University Park, Pa.; Brookings, SD.     

                  TABLE 15                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Summer Density of Ba 69-82 and Other                           Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)                         Conducted at Four Locations in the U.S. and Canada*                                         TESTS (Annual Means)                                              Variety        A         B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82       6.8       8.2                                                   Ba 73-540      6.7       8.2                                                   Abbey          7.1       8.0                                                   Able I         6.8       7.8                                                   Amazon         6.8       8.2                                                   America        6.8       7.7                                                   A-34           6.8       7.8                                                   Baron          6.3       7.7                                                   Bristol        6.4       7.8                                                   Chateau        7.3       8.3                                                   Classic        6.3       8.0                                                   Coventry       6.8       8.2                                                   Eclipse        6.3       7.7                                                   Estate         6.6       8.2                                                   Georgetown     5.9       7.3                                                   Glade          6.2       8.2                                                   Gnome          6.3       7.3                                                   Haga           6.3       7.7                                                   Kelly          6.4       7.7                                                   Kenblue        6.1       7.2                                                   Marquis        6.3       7.0                                                   Merion         6.4       7.8                                                   Merit          6.3       7.8                                                   Midnight       6.5       7.8                                                   Monopoly       5.8       7.7                                                   Nassau         6.1       7.0                                                   Ram I          6.7       7.8                                                   Victa          6.2       8.0                                                   LSD (.05)      0.8       0.7                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = maximum density                                         *Locations Test A: Winnipeg, Manitoba; Columbus, OH.                           Locations Test B: Columbia, Mo.; Brookings, SD.                          

                  TABLE 16                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Fall Density Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky                       Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B) Conducted at                     Five Locations in the U.S. and Canada*                                                      TESTS (Annual Means)                                              Variety        A         B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82       8.0       7.5                                                   Ba 73-540      8.7       7.8                                                   Abbey          7.0       7.2                                                   Able I         8.2       7.4                                                   Amazon         9.0       7.8                                                   America        8.7       7.5                                                   A-34           8.2       7.9                                                   Baron          8.0       7.0                                                   Bristol        7.8       7.5                                                   Chateau        8.2       7.5                                                   Classic        8.2       7.5                                                   Coventry       9.0       7.3                                                   Eclipse        8.0       7.5                                                   Estate         8.0       7.4                                                   Georgetown     7.3       7.1                                                   Glade          7.8       7.6                                                   Gnome          7.7       7.1                                                   Haga           8.3       7.5                                                   Kelly          7.2       7.8                                                   Kenblue        8.3       7.5                                                   Marquis        6.2       6.8                                                   Merion         7.3       7.3                                                   Merit          7.2       7.0                                                   Midnight       8.3       8.1                                                   Monopoly       7.5       7.1                                                   Nassau         6.5       7.3                                                   Parade         8.7       7.5                                                   Ram I          9.0       7.6                                                   Victa          7.8       7.1                                                   LSD (.05)      0.5       0.6                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9:9 = maximum density                                          *Locations Test A: Winnipeg, Monitoba; Brookings, SD.                          Locations Test B: Post Falls, ID.; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Columbia, Mo.;          Columbus, OH.                                                            

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance among locations and years. Ba 69-82 has been found to have a high level of resistance to leaf spot, melting out and crown rot caused by Drechslera poae (formerly called Helminthosporium vagans), a medium to high level of resistance to several rust diseases caused by Puccinia spp., dollarspot caused by Sclerotina homeocarpa, red thread caused by Laetisaria fuciformis (formerly called Corticium fuciforme), necrotic ring spot caused by Leptosphaeria korrae, stripe smut caused by Ustilago striiformis, and powdery mildew caused by Erysinhe graminis.

Comparisons of disease incidence in Ba 69-82 as compared with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, melting out, rusts, dollarspot, red thread, stripe smut, necrotic ring spot and powdery mildew are presented in Tables 17-27. Additional comparisons are presented in Tables 28-31 for drought stress, sod strength and seed yields.

                  TABLE 17                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and                    Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests                         Conducted at Five Locations in the U.S. and Canada*                                         TEST (Annual Means)                                               Variety        A         B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82       7.2       6.2                                                   Ba 73-540      5.9       5.7                                                   Abbey          4.6       5.8                                                   Able I         6.8       5.7                                                   Amazon         5.2       5.8                                                   America        5.7       6.5                                                   A-34           6.3       5.7                                                   Baron          6.0       6.5                                                   Bristol        7.9       6.5                                                   Chateau        6.4       6.2                                                   Classic        6.2       6.0                                                   Coventry       5.0       6.2                                                   Eclipse        7.4       7.0                                                   Estate         6.8       5.8                                                   Georgetown     6.7       6.5                                                   Glade          7.4       5.8                                                   Gnome          6.0       6.3                                                   Haga           6.7       6.0                                                   Kelly          5.1       6.2                                                   Kenblue        4.8       2.0                                                   Marquis        6.4       6.2                                                   Merion         6.2       6.3                                                   Merit          5.6       6.5                                                   Midnight       7.2       6.2                                                   Monopoly       5.6       6.7                                                   Nassau         6.6       6.2                                                   Ram I          4.9       5.0                                                   Victa          6.0       6.2                                                   LSD (.05)      1.0       0.9                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                              *Locations Test A: Post Falls, ID.; Hubbard, OR.; Remington, VA.               Locations Test B: Beltsville, MD.; Blacksburg, VA.                       

                  TABLE 18                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and                    Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three Annual Tests                       (A-C) Conducted at Marysville, OH                                                       % Leaf Spot Tests                                                     Variety    A            B       C                                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82   4.3          1.0     16.7                                           Adelphi    17.7         2.3     11.7                                           Bristol    5.2          1.0     5.0                                            Marquis    5.2          1.0     8.3                                            Parade     7.7          13.3    16.7                                           Park       62.5         76.7    90.0                                           Vantage    33.3         7.0     25.0                                           Victa      9.2          1.0     10.7                                           LSD (.05)               3.1     15.7                                           ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 19                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and                    Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)                   Conducted at Gervais, Oregon                                                                % Leaf Spot Tests                                                 Variety        A         B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82       10.0      16.7                                                  Adelphi        70.0      73.3                                                  America        53.3      36.7                                                  Bristol        5.0       10.0                                                  Glade          21.7      36.7                                                  Kenblue        88.3      66.7                                                  Marquis        83.3      88.3                                                  Merit          80.0      83.3                                                  Newport        50.0      60.1                                                  Victa          80.0      78.3                                                  LSD (.05)      16.0      26.0                                                  ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 20                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and                    Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Prince Fredrick, Maryland                Variety       % Leaf Spot                                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82      12.5                                                             Fylking       10.0                                                             Kenblue       60.0                                                             Merion        15.0                                                             Nugget        10.0                                                             Newport       40.0                                                             Vantage       20.0                                                             Victa         27.5                                                             LSD (.05)     23                                                               ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 21                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Melting Out Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and                  Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Three Locations*                                         Melting Out                                                    Variety           Spring  Fall                                                 ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82          5.0     9.0                                                  Ba 73-540         5.2     8.7                                                  Abbey             3.7     8.0                                                  Able I            4.5     9.0                                                  Amazon            4.2     7.0                                                  America           5.2     8.7                                                  A-34              4.8     8.7                                                  Baron             4.3     8.3                                                  Bristol           5.7     9.0                                                  Chateau           5.5     9.0                                                  Classic           6.2     8.7                                                  Coventry          4.3     9.0                                                  Eclipse           5.0     7.0                                                  Estate            5.3     9.0                                                  Georgetown        5.8     9.0                                                  Glade             4.5     8.0                                                  Gnome             4.5     8.7                                                  Haga              6.2     9.0                                                  Kelly             3.8     8.3                                                  Kenblue           3.7     1.0                                                  Marquis           4.8     7.7                                                  Merion            5.0     9.0                                                  Merit             4.2     8.3                                                  Midnight          4.0     9.0                                                  Monopoly          4.5     8.0                                                  Nassau            5.0     9.0                                                  Ram I             4.5     5.3                                                  Victa             5.2     8.0                                                  LSD (.05)         0.7     1.6                                                  ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                              *Locations: Fall  Puyallup, Wa. Spring  Blacksburg, Va.; Blackstone, Va. 

                  TABLE 22                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Stripe Smut Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and                  Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in 2 Tests (A-B) Conducted                  at Prince Fredrick, Md                                                                        % Stripe Smut                                                   Variety          A       B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-B2         4.0     1.5                                                   Fylking          27.5    40.0                                                  Kenblue          5.0     2.5                                                   Merion           37.5    75.0                                                  Nugget           4.0     17.5                                                  Newport          12.5    10.0                                                  Vantage          12.5    30.0                                                  Victa            55.0    50.0                                                  LSD (.05)        30      22                                                    ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 23                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Dollar Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and                  Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Columbia, MO                             Variety        Dollar Spot                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82       7.7                                                             Ba 73-540      8.0                                                             Abbey          7.3                                                             Able I         7.7                                                             Amazon         6.7                                                             America        7.3                                                             A-34           7.3                                                             Baron          7.0                                                             Bristol        7.7                                                             Chateau        6.7                                                             Classic        6.3                                                             Coventry       7.7                                                             Eclipse        7.7                                                             Estate         7.3                                                             Georgetown     7.3                                                             Glade          7.3                                                             Gnome          8.0                                                             Haga           7.3                                                             Kenblue        7.3                                                             Merion         7.3                                                             Merit          6.7                                                             Midnight       6.7                                                             Monopoly       7.0                                                             Nassau         6.7                                                             Ram I          6.0                                                             Victa7.7                                                                       LSD (.05)      1.4                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                        

                  TABLE 24                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Powdery Mildew Disease Incidence in                            Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two                         Annual Tests Conducted at Two Separate Locations                                          Powdery Mildew                                                                   Adelphia. N J                                                                              Ritzville, WA                                         Variety      Test        Test                                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82     5.3         7.0                                                   Ba 73-540    5.7         6.0                                                   Abbey        1.0         3.5                                                   Able I       6.7         5.7                                                   Amazon       5.0         4.7                                                   America      7.7         8.0                                                   A-34         6.7         5.0                                                   Baron        1.3         4.0                                                   Bristol      7.0         8.0                                                   Chateau      5.3         5.0                                                   Classic      2.7         6.7                                                   Coventry     6.0         6.0                                                   Eclipse      5.0         6.0                                                   Estate       7.0         6.7                                                   Georgetown   2.7         6.0                                                   Glade        3.3         6.0                                                   Gnome        1.0         3.7                                                   Haga         3.0         6.3                                                   Kenblue      5.0         8.0                                                   Merion       1.0         5.7                                                   Merit        1.7         4.6                                                   Midnight     1.7         4.0                                                   Monopoly     6.7         7.7                                                   Nassau       2.3         5.7                                                   Ram I        6.7         4.7                                                   Victa        1.7         4.3                                                   LSD (.05)    1.4         2.3                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9' = no disease                                       

                  TABLE 25                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and Other                   Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Annual Testing at Various                      Locations in the U.S. and Canada                                                                           Crown                                                                  Stripe Rust                                                                            Rust                                                      Stem Rust      Agassiz,  Agassiz                                                 Adelphia   Post Falls                                                                               British British                                           New Jersey Idaho     Columbia                                                                               Columbia                                 Variety  Test       Test      Test    Test                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82 8.3        8.0       8.0     9.0                                      Ba 73-540                                                                               8.0        8.0       8.0     9.0                                      Abbey    6.3        8.3       6.3     7.0                                      Able I   7.0        8.0       7.3     8.3                                      Amazon   6.0        7.3       7.0     9.0                                      America  8.3        7.7       8.0     8.3                                      A-34     8.0        8.0       7.0     8.3                                      Baron    7.3        8.0       7.0     8.0                                      Bristol  8.7        8.0       8.0     8.3                                      Chateau  8.3        7.3       7.3     9.0                                      Classic  8.7        8.3       8.0     9.0                                      Coventry 8.3        8.0       8.0     8.0                                      Eclipse  7.7        8.3       6.3     9.0                                      Estate   7.3        7.7       8.0     9.0                                      Georgetown                                                                              9.0        7.7       7.0     8.7                                      Glade    7.7        8.0       6.0     6.7                                      Gnome    7.7        8.7       7.0     7.7                                      Haga     9.0        7.3       7.3     8.0                                      Kenblue  8.3        7.7       7.7     6.7                                      Merion   2.7        4.0       5.3     5.0                                      Merit    8.0        8.0       6.7     7.0                                      Midnight 8.3        7.3       5.7     6.3                                      Monopoly 8.0        7.3       7.3     9.6                                      Nassau   7.7        8.0       7.3     8.3                                      Ram I    8.7        6.7       7.0     8.3                                      Victa    7.7        5.7       5.7     7.3                                      LSD (.05)                                                                               1.0        2.0       1.2     1.4                                      ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9 9 = no disease                                         

                  TABLE 26                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Necrotic Ring Spot Disease Incidence in Ba                     69-82 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Post Falls, Id.                Variety       Necrotic Ring Spot                                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82      9.0                                                              Ba 73-540     7.3                                                              Abbey         7.0                                                              Able I        9.0                                                              Amazon        6.3                                                              America       8.3                                                              A-34          8.7                                                              Baron         9.0                                                              Bristol       8.3                                                              Chateau       8.0                                                              Classic       9.0                                                              Coventry      8.7                                                              Eclipse       7.7                                                              Estate        8.3                                                              Georgetown    9.0                                                              Glade         9.0                                                              Gnome         8.3                                                              Haga          9.0                                                              Kelly         8.7                                                              Kenblue       9.0                                                              Merion        9.0                                                              Merit         9.0                                                              Midnight      8.0                                                              Monopoly      9.0                                                              Mystic        8.7                                                              Nassau        9.0                                                              Ram I         9.0                                                              Victa         9.0                                                              LSD (.05)     1.8                                                              ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                        

                  TABLE 27                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Red Thread Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and                   Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, Oregon                          Variety       % Red Thread                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82      0.0                                                              Adelphi       0.0                                                              America       1.7                                                              Bristol       0.0                                                              Glade         15.0                                                             Kenblue       23.3                                                             Marquis       6.7                                                              Merit         6.7                                                              Newport       3.3                                                              Victa         10.0                                                             LSD (.05)     13.0                                                             ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 28                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Percent Drought Damage in Ba 69-82 and                         Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)                   Conducted at Prince Fredrick, Maryland                                                     % Drought Damage Test                                              Variety       A          B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82      0.0        17.5                                                  Fylking       12.5       25.0                                                  Kenblue       5.0        7.5                                                   Merion        2.5        15.0                                                  Nugget        12.5       20.0                                                  Newport       7.5        10.0                                                  Vantage       0.0        15.0                                                  Victa         15.0       45.0                                                  LSD (.05)     11.0       29.0                                                  ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 29                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Sod Strength 8 and 12 Months After Planting                    of Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varities at                           Remington, VA                                                                                SOD STRENGTH                                                     Variety         8 Months 12 Months                                             ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82        26.0     20.0                                                  Ba 73-540       20.3     11.7                                                  Abbey           17.0     8.0                                                   Able I          16.3     8.7                                                   Amazon          18.0     8.7                                                   America         30.7     18.7                                                  A-34            21.7     9.7                                                   Baron           25.7     14.7                                                  Bristol         24.7     8.3                                                   Challenger      23.0     12.0                                                  Chateau         23.3     15.0                                                  Classic         23.0     15.3                                                  Coventry        18.0     11.0                                                  Eclipse         22.0     13.0                                                  Estate          23.3     16.0                                                  Georgetown      30.0     14.3                                                  Glade           26.3     18.0                                                  Gnome           22.0     14.3                                                  Haga            22.3     13.0                                                  Kenblue         22.0     16.3                                                  Marquis         23.0     12.7                                                  Merion          21.3     11.3                                                  Merit           25.3     13.3                                                  Midnight        22.3     14.3                                                  Monopoly        26.0     8.3                                                   Nassau          22.3     8.3                                                   Ram I           22.3     11.0                                                  Victa           29.3     16.3                                                  Wabash          16.7     10.3                                                  LSD (.05)       6.9      6.1                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: Kilograms of tension needed to tear sod.                   

                  TABLE 30                                                         ______________________________________                                         Seed Yield Comparison in Pounds Per Acre of Ba 69-82 and                       Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three Annual Tests                       (A-C) Conducted in Oregon                                                             Madras, Oregon                                                                              LaGrande, Oregon                                           Variety  Test A         Test B   Test C                                        ______________________________________                                         Ba 69-82  884           920      894                                           Abbey    --             1253     1512                                          Baron    1194           --       --                                            Chateau  1113           857      876                                           Coventry 1090           --       --                                            Estate   --             857      876                                           Marquis  --             1030     1174                                          Victa    1324           1200     1419                                          LSD                     181      149                                           ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 31                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Seed Yields in Pounds Per Acre of Ba 69-82                     and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varities at LaGrande, Oregon                             Variety Yield                                                           ______________________________________                                                Ba 69-82                                                                               1,159                                                                  Ba 73-366                                                                              1,612                                                                  Ba 73-381                                                                              1,551                                                                  Ba 74-114                                                                              748                                                                    Abbey   1,549                                                                  Coventry                                                                               1,046                                                                  LSD (.05)                                                                              160                                                             ______________________________________                                     

What is claimed is:
 1. A variety of Kentucky bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a medium to high level of resistance to several serious diseases including leaf spot, melting out, several rusts, dollar spot, powdery mildew and stripe smut, and a desirable green color throughout the growing season, a strong sod former, forms a high quality dense persistent turf under a wide variety of environmental conditions and has a medium level of seed yielding capacity. 